One family's angst, British style

Rachael Warren as Isobel Glass and Stephen Thorne as Irwin Posner in The Secret Rapture. Photo by Mark Turek Trinity Rep's latest production, "The Secret Rapture," is emotionpacked drama that appears to have been boldly ripped from the headlines of our everyday news.

Written by David Hare, "The Secret Rapture" is a tragic tale of a British family in crisis. Two sisters confront the death of their father. A bitter, competitive quarrel between the two is punctuated by the unique problem of what to do with their step-mother, who is an unstable, but manipulative alcoholic.

The play was first staged in London in 1988 and was viewed at the time as a brilliant critique of conservative Margaret Thatcher's Britain.

Today, the political wit and satire could easily reference the Bush White House years.

Trinity Rep veterans Rachael Warren and Phyllis Kay are cast as the sisters. Anne Scurria does a bang up job in her portrayal of the wildly out-of-control step-mother.

Fred Sullivan Jr. is quite British as the unassuming husband. Stephen Thorne takes a head-long plunge into insanity as the lovestruck colleague and boyfriend.

Vaguely disturbing, "The Secret Rapture" captures some of the weighty angst that every family seems to face.

"The Secret Rapture" is directed by Curt Columbus. The show runs at Trinity Rep through March 29. Discounted tickets are available. Details are available at TrinityRep.com.